Indian Ipecac is a small, slender, much branched,
velvety, twining or climbing herb with yellowish sap. It is mostly
found in the sub-himalayan tract from Uttarakhand to Meghalaya and in
the central and peninsular India. Rootstock is 2.5-5 cm, thick. Leaves,
6-11 cm long, 3.8-6 cm wide, are ovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, with
a narrow tip, heart-shaped at base, thick, velvety beneath when young,
smooth above. Leaf stalks are up to 1.2 cm long. Flowers are small,
1-1.5 cm across, in 2 to 3-flowered fascicles in cymes in leaf axils.
Sepal tube is divided nearly to the base, densely hairy outside. Sepals
are lanceshaped. Flowers are greenish- yellow or greenish-purple, with
oblong pointy petals. Fruit is a follicle, up to 7 x 1 cm,
ovoid-lanceshaped. Flowering: August-December.
Medicinal uses: It is traditionally used as a
folk remedy in certain regions of India for the treatment of bronchial
asthma, inflammation, bronchitis, allergies, rheumatism and dermatitis.